Barbaric defence is key for Uni

There is one massive statistic that sums up University’s dominance of Coast rugby.

In 10 matches this season, the defending premiers have conceded only two tries.

The most recent, in their 92-7 romp over Fraser Coast last round, earned the team a verbal thrashing from coach Regan Berryman, according to stand-in captain Trent Smith.

“He wasn’t happy at all – it was a very silly mistake. The boys were just getting ahead of themselves,” he said.

“(Defence) is what we pride ourselves on.”

So they should – they’ve conceded only 53 points this year, three of which came against Noosa in round five.

But that was all the Dolphins needed for the victory, winning the meeting 3-0.

The Barbarians have a shot at redemption this afternoon, hosting Noosa at 3.15pm, in a match Smith said was set to be a highlight of his side’s season.

“Without being arrogant, it’s the first game in a while that the boys have been really pumped for,” he said.

“We’re really fired up to get one back.

“The worst thing with (the loss), was John Stocker, our centre, threw the last pass when he was almost under the posts, to an opposition player who was calling for it.

“If he had held on to it, he would have pretty much fallen over the line, we could have been 7-3 up and in a different game.”

While both sides are guaranteed a finals berth, this afternoon’s result will go along way towards deciding the minor premiership – Uni currently leads the competition, with Noosa only two points in arrears.